Does this look familiar? Lunch menu at the Burns' household: Monday - macaroni and cheese. Tuesday - macaroni and cheese. Wednesday - macaroni and cheese. Thursday - well, you get the picture. I didn't realize I had a problem until my husband came home from work the other night and asked what was for supper. "Leftover macaroni and cheese," I replied. His eyebrows rose to the top of his face and I could tell that this was not what he was hoping for.

The beautiful thing about boxed mac'n cheese is that it is quick, it is easy, and toddlers and infants alike can chew it. All you really need on the table is a bowl and a spoon. It takes so little effort.

That night I had a terrible realization as my family enjoyed yet another delicious dish of leftover mac'n cheese. There was little difference between my toddler's manners and my own. I'm not saying that I was throwing my food on the floor or wiping it in my hair, but when you eat toddler food every day, you tend to start eating like a toddler. I was huddled over my plate, trying to shovel in as much as I could WITH MY SPOON before my toddler started demanding that I share with him. It was so mushy that I hardly had to chew before swallowing. I took a drink of water after every bite, apparently trying to wash down the residual taste of the processed cheese. My napkin was crumpled. My clothes were so dirty from caring for two little boys all day that I just wiped the crumbs onto my pants. Yes, you read the right. I wiped my hands on my pants. Wow. I'm eating with a spoon, talking with my mouth full, and using my clothes as a napkin. Not very hip mom-like.

Okay, so who has time to cook elaborate meals when they have young children? Unless you have a cook or a nanny, you don't. Fortunately, a hip mom doesn't have to devote her entire afternoon to satisfying her palate and creating meals that demand a fork and a little better table manner. Get a "good and easy" cookbook. You can still try new recipes to satiate your adventurous, hip side, but you don't have to try to squeeze in an entire day of cooking to do so. And really, what toddler wouldn't benefit from eating an adult meal now and then?

Trust me. This one is worth the effort. You do not want to be the one hip mom, finally out to dinner on a date with your hip husband who doesn't remember how to eat food with a fork or recognize that grilled-to-perfection piece of food on your plate just might be something worth chewing!